By Ernest Osogbue.
Cristiano Ronaldo has congratulated the next generation of football stars, after his country Portugal claimed the 2025 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Al Rayyan, Qatar, on Thursday, after beating European rivals, Austria, 1-0 in the final. Taking to his social media handle, Ronaldo congratulated the team and wished them the best for the future.
In a tense final at the iconic Khalifa International Stadium, Portugal exhibited their defensive acumen, adding it to their fluid and disciplined organizational play. This restricted the potent Austrian attack which had 17 year old Johannes Moser, the tournament’s top scorer as it’s pivot.
Having taken the lead in the 32nd minute, through Anisio Cabral, who finished a sleek Portuguese counterattack, the Portuguese held on to the end of the match to break Austrian hearts, and win the 48 team championship for the first time. Italy also beat Brazil 4-2 on penalties, after a goalless 90 minutes, with Italy keeper Alesandro Longoni saving two spot kicks. Italy’s win, therefore, completed a European clean sweep of the top three places.
Portuguese forward, Mateus Mide, scooped the golden ball as best player, with Johannes Moser of Austria winning the golden boot for his eight goals during the championship.
The U-17 FIFA World Cup was expanded to 48 teams for the first time in this edition, and will now be an annual competition as opposed to being a biennial event. Qatar has been granted the rights to host the next four editions.
